System and apparatus for smart card personalization

ABSTRACT

A smart card personalization system maintains a database containing card issuer data format templates, card applications, card operating system commands, and personalization equipment specifications and provides a centralized interface of inputs and outputs to a card issuing process which dynamically adjusts to changes in the issuing process to easily permit a card issuer to change data formats, card applications, card operating systems and/or personalization equipment in a card issuing process. The system interfaces to any card issuer management system, manages the transfer of cardholder data and card applications to the particular personalization equipment used, and maintains statistics for real-time and off-line inquiries to support critical management and reporting functions. Furthermore, the system works with a variety of security methodologies to prevent fraud.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a divisional of U.S. application Ser. No.09/416,252, filed on Oct. 12, 1999, which is a continuation of U.S.application Ser. No. 09/139,163, filed Aug. 24, 1998 (now issued as U.S.Pat. No. 6,014,748), which is a continuation of U.S. application Ser.No. 08/755,459, filed Nov. 22, 1996 (now issued as U.S. Pat. No.5,889,941), which claims benefit under 35 U.S.C. 119(e) of U.S.Provisional Application No. 60/015,743, filed Apr. 15, 1996, whichapplications are incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is related to data storage devices and inparticular to producing portable programmed data carriers such as creditcards, debit cards, identification cards, and other transaction cards.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Increasing numbers of organizations which issue transaction cards totheir users, customers, or employees require cards tailored to meet therequirements of their particular service or application. Theseorganizations also want the cards to contain data about the cardholder.Existing transaction cards encode such data in a magnetic stripe on theback of the card but the amount of data that can be held by a magneticstripe is limited. A new type of transaction card embeds amicroprocessor computer chip in the plastic of the card to greatlyincrease the card's data storage capacity. Additionally, sophisticatedcard applications specific to the card issuer can execute in certainvarieties of the chips, and the chip may also contain a type ofoperating system. Transaction cards with embedded chips are referred toin the industry as portable programmed data carriers, more commonlycalled “smart cards.” The chip in a smart card is programmed withinitialization and/or personalization data at the same time as thesurface of the card is being embossed and/or printed.

The initialization data comprises three major types of information:application data, security data, and printed data. The application datais common to all cards for a given card application and includesapplication program code and variables. The security data preventsfraudulent use of the card and is usually provided in the form of“secure keys.” Printed data, such as a logo, bar codes, and varioustypes of numerical information, are placed on the surface of the card.Some or all of the same data can also be embossed on the surface.Optical technology also can be employed to make part or all of thesurface of the card into a storage medium with data accessible by anappropriate optical reader.

Smart cards are also programmed with information specific to anindividual cardholder through a process called “personalization.” Thepersonalization information for a smart card is similar to thepersonalization information currently contained on non-smart cards, suchas the cardholder's name, account number, card expiration date, and aphotograph. Because of its increased storage capacity, the chip in asmart card can contain additional data beyond the basic information onthe standard transaction card including a graphical representation ofthe individual's signature, data defining the types of service thecardholder is entitled to, and account limits for those services.

The smart card issuing process must control and report on eachpersonalized card and the results of the personalization process.Extensive report and audit files thus must be maintained to support thecard tracking requirements.

Currently, a smart card issuing system must be tailored to meet therequirements of a specific card application that will be programmed on aspecific type of smart card under the control of a specific cardoperating system and to format the data for the card to be compatiblewith a specific type of personalization equipment chosen to issue thecard. The entire issuing system must be re-configured whenever any oneof these variables (issuer application, smart card/card operatingsystem, and/or personalization equipment) is changed, increasing thetime and cost incurred by the issuer of the card in deliveringpersonalized smart cards to its customers. Additionally, many of thecurrent issuing systems lack a viable means to provide dynamic feedbackregarding the status of any particular batch of cards in the process tothe card issuer.

Furthermore, the smart card issuing systems in use today utilize aproprietary approach developed by either the card manufacturer or thepersonalization equipment manufacturer. To encourage sales of theirrespective cards or equipment, each manufacturer develops a uniquepersonalization solution for a particular card application, and eachsolution is specific to a particular card issuer. These unique solutionsare intended to optimize performance of the cards or equipment and thusdo not permit a more inclusive, generalized personalization process thataccepts any card operating system and/or work with any personalizationequipment.

As the demand for smart cards increases, a smart card issuing systemwhich permits the card issuers to use any type of personalizationequipment to handle multiple types of smart cards, and their attendantoperating systems, and to embed the issuers' specific card applicationsalong with the required cardholder data in any of the various types ofsmart cards is required.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A smart card personalization system maintains a database containing cardapplication data, issuer format template data, card operating systemdata, and personalization equipment data to permit a card issuer todynamically change card applications, card and card operating systems,and/or personalization equipment in a card issuing process without thenecessity of modifying the card issuer's interface to the issuingprocess.

The smart card personalization system issues portable programmed datacarriers, or smart cards, by first acquiring a data format identifier, acard operating system identifier, a personalization equipmentidentifier, an application program identifier or identifiers, andpersonalization data for a cardholder from a card issuer managementsystem. The identifiers permit the system to address data stored in adata structure, such as a database, and specify the particular dataneeded by the system for each card to be issued. Because each cardissuer formats its personalization data differently and may havemultiple data formats, the smart card personalization system has adatabase of data format templates that enable it to interface withmultiple card issuer management systems. The system acquires the formattemplate defining the personalization data used by a particular cardissuer from a record in the database identified by the data formatidentifier. The system uses the data format template to translate thepersonalization data from the card issuer's format into an internalformat recognized by the components of the system. The system uses thecard operating system identifier and application program identifier(s)to acquire programming control commands for an operating systempre-loaded in a microprocessor chip embedded in the card, andapplication data, in the form of code and/or variables, for anapplication program type or types from the database. The system alsoacquires the equipment characteristic data for the personalizationequipment to be used to issue the smart card using the personalizationequipment identifier. Once the system has acquired all the datanecessary to issue the smart card it transfers the programming controlcommands, the application code and variables, and the translatedpersonalization data to the personalization equipment as specified bythe equipment characteristic data.

Alternatively, no data format identifier is passed by the card issuerbecause the data format template is derived from data in the applicationdata record or because the format of the personalization corresponds ona one-to-one basis with the internal format used by the system. The cardissuer may also substitute the data format template record for the dataformat identifier so the system does not need to reference its databaseof format records.

Another feature of the smart card personalization system is its cardmanagement function. The smart card personalization system collectsinformation regarding the card issuing process and reports thisinformation to the card issuer management system.

Smart cards may include one or more “secure keys” that are programmedinto the chip to prevent fraudulent use of the card. The appropriatesecure key data is obtained by the smart card personalization systemfrom secure key records maintained by the card issuer, or anothersecurity source, and then transferred to the personalization equipment.The security source also provides security functions that are used bythe smart card personalization system to ensure the integrity andsecrecy of data during the transmission of data to and from the systemand within the system during the smart card personalization process.

The smart card management system performs the functions described abovethrough a series of software modules executing on a computer or multiplecomputers. One module is a card issuer management system interface whichacquires the data format identifier, the card operating systemidentifier, the personalization equipment identifier, the applicationprogram identifier(s), and the personalization data for a cardholderfrom the card issuer management system. The card issuer managementsystem interface then uses the data format identifier to acquire theformat template that defines the personalization data and translates thepersonalization data into the common, internal data format. A cardoperating system interface module acquires the programming controlcommands for the card operating system type specified by the cardoperating system identifier. A card application interface module usesthe application program identifier(s) to determine which type(s) ofapplication program is to be placed on the card and acquires thespecified application code and variables. A personalization equipmentinterface module is responsible for the acquisition of the equipmentcharacteristic data for the personalization equipment type specified bythe personalization equipment identifier, and further for transferringthe programming control commands, the application code and variables,and the translated personalization data to the personalization equipmentin accordance with the requirements stipulated by the equipmentcharacteristic data.

The reporting and security functions are provided by a tracking/reportmodule and by a secure key management module.

The smart card personalization system uses an underlying data structure,such as a database, residing in a computer storage medium to organizethe data necessary to issue the smart cards. The data structurecomprises several different types of data elements and uses “indices” or“identifiers” to quickly access specific data. There are four main dataelements in the system: a data format element, a card operating systemelement, an application program element, and a personalization equipmentelement.

The data format element contains a template that defines the format ofthe personalization data used the card issuer. The data format elementmay be stored in a database containing data format elements for variouscard issuer and the information stored in the data format element isaccessed through the data format identifier. Alternatively, the dataformat element may be derived at the time the card is issued from datain the application program element(s) so that the application programidentifier(s) passed by the card issuer identify the data format. Whenthe data format of the personalization data corresponds exactly to theinternal format used by the smart card personalization system, the dataformat template is logically implied which creates a virtual data formatelement for the issuing process.

The card operating system element holds the programming control commandsthat direct the card operating systems controlling a smart card chip andis accessed through the card operating system identifier.

The application program element(s) contains application data, such asprogram code and variables, required by the applications associated withvarious card issuers; application data is accessed through anapplication program identifier(s).

Operating parameters for various types of personalization equipment usedto issue smart cards are stored in the personalization equipment elementand accessed through a personalization equipment identifiercorresponding to the type of the personalization equipment to be usedduring an issuing run.

Special configurations of the smart card personalization system supportcard issuers that do not need the full flexibility of the systemdescribed above.

The smart card personalization system addresses the weakness in theprior art by providing a centralized interface of inputs and outputs tothe smart card personalization process which is designed to dynamicallyaccommodate changes in the issuing process. The system interfaces to anyissuer management system, manages the transfer of cardholder data andcard applications to the particular personalization equipment used, andcollects statistics for real-time and off-line inquiries to supportcritical management and reporting functions. The system maintains adatabase of issuer data formats, card operating systems, cardapplication programs, and types of personalization equipment. Thisdatabase enables the system to handle any combination or permutations ofthe data, thus improving cost and time to market for the issuer.Furthermore, the system interfaces with various card securitymethodologies to reduce fraud.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1A is a block diagram representing a smart card issuing processthat incorporates a smart card personalization system.

FIG. 1B is a functional block diagram of input and output connectionsfor the smart card personalization system shown in FIG. 1A.

FIG. 1C is a functional block diagram showing software modules and datastructures which comprise one embodiment of the smart cardpersonalization system shown in FIG. 1B.

FIG. 2 is the functional block diagram of the embodiment of FIG. 1C withthe addition of a security module to manage keys used for smart cards.

FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram of another embodiment of the smartcard personalization system showing a minimal configuration to managemultiple types of cards and personalization equipment.

FIG. 4 is the functional block diagram of the embodiment of FIG. 3 withthe addition of a module to manage multiple card operating systems.

FIG. 5 is the functional block diagram of the embodiment of FIG. 4 withthe addition of the security module.

FIG. 6 is the functional block diagram of the embodiment of FIG. 3 withthe addition of a module to manage multiple card applications.

FIG. 7 is the functional block diagram of the embodiment of FIG. 6 withthe addition of the security module.

FIG. 8 is a high level flow chart for computer software which implementsthe functions of the smart card personalization system.

FIG. 9 is a functional block diagram of an alternate embodiment of thesmart card personalization system using software modules and datarecords.

FIG. 10 is a high level flow chart for computer software whichimplements the functions of the embodiment of the smart cardpersonalization system shown in FIG. 9.

FIG. 11 is a data field chart for a card framework template record usedby the embodiment of the smart card personalization system shown in FIG.9.

FIG. 12 is a data field chart for a data format template record used bythe embodiment of the smart card personalization system shown in FIG. 9.

FIG. 13 is a data field chart for a card application data record used bythe embodiment of the smart card personalization system shown in FIG. 9.

FIG. 14 is a report format showing sample items tracked by the smartcard personalization system.

DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

In the following detailed description of the embodiments, reference ismade to the accompanying drawings which form a part hereof, and in whichis shown by way of illustration specific embodiments in which theinvention may be practiced. These embodiments are described insufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice theinvention, and it is to be understood that other embodiments may beutilized and that structural, logical and electrical changes may be madewithout departing from the spirit and scope of the present inventions.The following detailed description is, therefore, not to be taken in alimiting sense, and the scope of the present inventions is defined onlyby the appended claims.

The leading digit(s) of the reference numbers in the Figures usuallycorrespond to the figure number, with the exception that identicalcomponents which appear in multiple figures are identified by the samereference numbers.

Issuing Smart Cards

Standard transaction cards such as regular credit cards are familiar tomost people. A transaction card usually has information about thecardholder, such as name and account number, printed and/or embossed onthe surface of the card. Transaction cards frequently contain a magneticstripe which is encoded with cardholder data as well. The process ofprinting/embossing/encoding the cardholder data on each transaction cardis known as “personalization.” Each transaction card also undergoes aprocess known as “initialization” in which certain types of informationcommon to all cards in a batch, such as an issuer identifier and batchnumber, are placed on the card.

A smart card differs from a standard transaction card in that a computermicroprocessor chip is embedded in the plastic of the card to greatlyincrease the card's data storage capacity. In some varieties of smartcards, the card manufacturer pre-loads the chip with one of severalpossible card operating systems and the operating system controls theprogramming of the chip during the personalization process.Additionally, sophisticated card applications specific to the cardissuer may execute in certain varieties of the chips.

The initialization data for a smart card comprises three major types ofinformation: application data, security data, and printed data. Theapplication data is common to all cards for a given card application andincludes application program code and variables that are programmed intothe chip. The security data, usually provided as secure keys or securityfunctions, validates the data on the card and prevents fraudulent use ofthe card. Printed data, such as a logo, bar codes, and various types ofnumerical information, are printed on the surface of the card. Some orall of the same data may also be embossed on the surface. Opticaltechnology also may be employed to make part of the surface of the smartcard into a storage medium with data accessible by an appropriateoptical reader.

The personalization information for a smart card is similar to thepersonalization information currently contained on non-smart cards, suchas the cardholder's name, account number, card expiration date, and aphotograph. Because of its increased storage capacity, the chip in asmart card may contain additional data beyond the basic information onthe standard transaction card including a graphical representation ofthe individual's signature, data defining the types of service thecardholder is entitled to, and account limits for those services.

Smart Card Personalization System

FIG. 1A shows components of a smart card issuing process thatincorporates an embodiment of the smart card personalization system ofthe present invention. The smart card personalization system 100receives data from a card issuer management system 150 (typicallyproprietary to the card issuer), translates the data into a data stream,and outputs the data stream to personalization equipment 130 whichpersonalizes the smart cards 160. The card issuer management system 150manages the cardholder data and determines the type of card to issue,the card applications to embed in the card, and what personalizationequipment to use to issue the card for a particular cardholder. The cardissuer management system is frequently a computer program as illustratedin FIG. 1A, but the smart card personalization system 100 is capable ofreceiving data from alternate inputs, such as a person inputting thedata from a telephone keypad.

The smart card personalization system 100 is illustrated in FIG. 1A as asoftware program executing in a computer. As described below, the smartcard personalization system 100 accesses database records which definevarious types of cards and card operating systems, card applications,and personalization equipment. The logical functions of the software andthe database may be distributed among computers in a client/servernetwork or centralized into a single processor. The functions may alsobe distributed across processors connected through standard local areanetworks, wide area networks, dedicated phone lines or othercommunication means used to loosely couple processors. The softwareprogram executes under an operating system such as Unix, Windows 95©, orWindows NT©, and on industry-standard workstation and/or personalcomputer hardware.

The system 100 controls card printers, embossing devices, and integratedor add-on smart card interface devices collectively represented in FIG.1A as personalization system 130. Personalization equipment 130 alsorepresents such devices as large volume card printer/embossers, smallvolume card printer/embossers, automatic teller machiners (ATMs), pointof sale terminals, unattended kiosks, personal computers, networkcomputers, and on-line telecommunication devices. Because of theirinvestment in existing non-smart card personalization equipment, manycard issuers do not purchase entirely new smart card personalizationequipment but instead augment their existing personalization equipmentwith a smart card interface device which programs the chip in the cardwhile the older device performs the printing and embossing functions. Insuch a configuration, the computer system executing the smart cardpersonalization system 100, or “host,” may be physically connected toboth devices or to only one of the devices. In the latter case, the hostcontrols the directly-connected device and has a logical connection tothe other. The physical connection between the devices and the hostvaries according to the manufacturer and model of the device. Commonindustry standard connections include serial RS232, SCSI (Small ComputerSystem Interface), Ethernet, and serial TTL (Transistor-TransistorLogic). In addition, some devices require a proprietary bus connection.

The connections between the smart card personalization system 100 andthe card management system 150 and the devices 130 may also beimplemented through standard local area networks, wide area networks,dedicated phone lines, or other remote communication infrastructure usedto transfer data. The use of such remote connections when personalizingsmart cards is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,524,857 issued on Jul. 9,1996, to Laing, et al. Alternate connections will be apparent to thoseskilled in the art and are within the scope of the invention.

FIG. 1B is a block diagram of one embodiment of the smart cardpersonalization system illustrating the logical connections between thesmart card personalization system 100 and functions employed by a cardissuing organization to issue smart cards. Cardholder data maintained bythe card issuing organization contains information about each individualcardholder, such as name, account number, card expiration date, andapplicable services. Various ways of inputting the cardholder data intothe card issuer management system 150 are shown in phantom as cardholderdata 152 in FIG. 1B. The card issuer management system 150 may receivethe cardholder data on computer media, such as magnetic tape, floppydisk, or CD ROM. Alternatively, the cardholder data 152 may be inputthrough an on-line connection such as a general switched telephonenetwork, a packet-switched network, i.e., the Internet, a dedicatedline, or a cable/satellite television signal. Additional ways in whichthe cardholder data 152 may be input to the system 150 will be apparentto those skilled in the art.

In addition to the card issuer management system 150, the card issuertypically has an existing reporting capability 154 with which the smartcard personalization system 100 interfaces so that the card issuer canreview statistical information maintained by the system 100. An externalsecurity source, also provided by the card issuer and shown as securekey manager 111 and secure key database 128, provides security functionsthat work in conjunction with the card issuer management system 150 andthe smart card personalization system 100. FIG. 1B also illustrates analternate embodiment of the smart card personalization system 100 whichsupports a card issuer that has add-on smart card interface devices. Thesystem 100 directs a portion of the personalization information to theolder personalization equipment 130 and the remainder of the data to apost-processor 132 in the smart card interface device 132 which programsthe chip. These functions are explained in detail below.

The embodiments of the software program for the smart cardpersonalization system 100 shown in the following Figures function ascombinations of code modules with each module executing a specific partof the issuing process. In these embodiments, the modules are coupledthrough defined input and output program calls, and are also coupled tothe data structures through standard data query commands that provideaccess to the data stored in the data structures. The communicationprotocols between the modules, and between the modules and the datastructures vary depending on the language in which the modules arewritten and upon the underlying data management system employed tosupport the database.

FIG. 1C is a more detailed functional block diagram of the smart cardpersonalization system 100 of FIG. 1B without the external securityfunctions. FIG. 1C shows the internal connections between softwaremodules and database records that enable the smart card personalizationsystem 100 to combine multiple types of issuer data formats, cardoperating systems, card applications and personalization equipment whenissuing smart cards.

The smart card personalization system 100 provides a customized cardissuer management interface 101 to a card issuer management system 150.In this embodiment, the card issuer management system 150 passespersonalization data from a cardholder database 152 to the system 100.Each software module within system 100 expects the personalization datato be passed to it in a particular, internal format. Because thepersonalization data is in an external format defined by the card issuerthat often differs from the internal format(s) expected by the softwaremodules, the personalization data is translated by the system 100 intothe internal format(s) using the data format template. The system 100may acquire the data format template through a data format identifierpassed by the card issuer that the system 100 uses to acquire anoptional data format template record 120 (shown in phantom in FIG. 1C)as illustrated by an optional connection between the record 120 and thecard issuer management system interface 101. Alternatively the cardissuer passes the data format template record to the system 100 insteadof the data format identifier. In another embodiment, the data formattemplate may be derived from the data in the card application record 124that is specified by an application program identifier passed by theissuer as illustrated by an optional connection between the cardapplication database 124 and the card issuer management system interface101.

In a further alternate embodiment of FIG. 1C, security functions areprovided internal to the smart card personalization system 100, bypassing security functions into the system as part of the cardapplication record.

A further alternate embodiment in which the personalization data formatmatches the internal format is also shown in FIG. 1C. Because notranslation between the external and internal formats is necessary inthis embodiment, no data format template is needed so the data formatrecord 120 and the connections between the card issuer management systeminterface 101 and the data format record 120 and the card applicationdatabase 124 are not present. The data format record may 120 be composedof a plurality of tables which instruct the system 100 as to the properparsing of the personalization data or a simple list that indicates theorder in which the fields of the cardholder data record appear as willbe apparent to those skilled in the art. The various alternateprocedures for determining the format of the personalization datadescribed above are implicit in all the embodiments of the smart cardpersonalization system 100 described herein.

Using a card identifier provided by the card issuer management system150, a card operating system interface module 103 retrieves programmingcontrol commands specific to the card operating system 122 for themicroprocessor chip that is embedded in the type of card being issued.The programming control commands direct the encoding of the chip withthe personalization data and the card application(s) chosen by the cardissuer.

Each card application comprises program code and variable data that isstored in the database as application data 124 and is identified by anapplication program identifier. The card issuer management system 150passes one or more program application identifiers to the system 100which are used by a card application interface module 105 to acquire thecorresponding application data 124.

The personalization equipment that the card issuer plans to use to issuethe batch of cards is defined by a personalization equipment identifier.A personalization equipment interface module 107 acquires equipmentcharacteristic data 126 specific to the type of personalizationequipment 130 corresponding to the personalization equipment identifier.The personalization equipment interface 107 also acquires theprogramming control commands, the application code and variables, andthe translated personalization data, and transfers all of this data tothe personalization equipment 130 as specified by the equipmentcharacteristic data 126 to issue the smart card.

An alternate embodiment of the system 100 supports a card issuer thathas augmented their existing personalization equipment with a smart cardprogramming device by having the personalization equipment interface 107direct a subset of the translated personalization information to theolder personalization equipment 130 and the remainder of the data to apost-processor 132 in the smart card programming device.

The smart card personalization system 100 also provides atracking/report module, or engine, 109 that collects statisticalinformation from the other modules in the system 100 and formats thestatistical information for output as hard-copy reports 154 or as inputto a reporting function in the card issuer management system 150.Because this statistical information is being gathered in real-time, thecard issuer management system 150 can interactively querytracking/report module 109 to obtain statistics about the smart cardpersonalization system as it is executing. Examples of items monitoredby the tracking/report module 109 are shown in FIG. 14.

In an alternate embodiment shown in FIG. 2, the smart cardpersonalization system 100 includes a security source in the form of asecure key manager module 111 and secure key database 128. When a smartcard is manufactured, the vendor includes security architecture on thechip to prevent unauthorized programming. The security architectureimplementation is commonly dependent on the application(s) programmedonto the chip. For example, the secure keys programmed in a stored valueapplication would be different than the secure keys programmed in ahealth care application. The security architecture implementation alsovaries depending on the type of card: some cards require a single securekey which enables chip programming while others require multiple securekeys to enable chip programming and to perform additional securityfunctions. FIG. 2 illustrates the basic functions of the secure keymanager 111 when interfacing with the security architecture on a cardthat requires multiple secure keys.

As shown in FIG. 2, the secure key data is stored in the secure keydatabase 128 which is external to the smart card personalization system100 and maintained by the card issuer or other security source.Extending the secure key manager 111 to handle more or fewer securekeys, and to interface with a secure key database managed by the smartcard personalization system 100 itself, is dependant on the application,operating system, and personalization equipment being used in thespecific card issuing application, and will be apparent to those skilledin the art.

The secure key manager 111 also provides additional mechanisms to ensuresecure key data authentication, data integrity and data secrecy. In oneembodiment, secure key data authentication is accomplished through theimplementation of various encryption methods. Secure key data integrityis achieved through digital signature mechanisms that use public keys toensure that secure key data is being transmitted and received from validsources. Secure key data secrecy is ensured by encrypting thetransmitted data with a private key that is shared with the datareceiver and which the data receiver uses to decrypt the data uponreceipt.

After the system 100 receives a secure key record from the secure keydatabase 128, the secure key manager 111, in conjunction with the cardoperating system interface 103 and the card application interface 105,perform the secure key authentication, data integrity and data secrecyfunctions. The system 100 then transfers the secure key data to thepersonalization equipment 130 through the personalization equipmentinterface 107 along with the other data for the card.

In an alternate embodiment, the secure key manager 111 passes securityinformation to the other modules of the smart card personalizationsystem 100. For example, portions of the card holder data, such as thePIN (Personal Identification Number) code, may be encrypted by the cardissuer management system 150 prior to passing the data to the smart cardpersonalization system 100. The card issuer management system interface101 retrieves the encryption key from the secure key database 128through the secure key manager 111, and decrypts the data prior toencoding or programming the PIN code into the magnetic stripe and/or thechip.

In a further alternate embodiment, the secure key manager 111 is a code“hook” into the smart card personalization system 100 which provides agateway connection for an external security source that supplies therequired security functions. An example of such an external securitysource is a security manager program written by a third party thatmanages a security database of secure keys and/or security functionssimilar to secure key database 128. The security functions may be eitherexternal routines executed by the security manager, or code modulespassed by the security manager which are then executed by the smart cardpersonalization system 100 to provide the required security functions,or a combination of both.

FIG. 3 illustrates a minimal configuration of the smart cardpersonalization system 100. In this embodiment, only the card issuermanagement system interface modules 101 and the personalizationequipment interface modules 107 are enabled in the software. Thisembodiment permits card issuer to use the system 100 to personalizenon-smart cards, thus saving the cost of having two separatepersonalization systems, while permitting the card issuer to usemultiple data formats and multiple types of personalization equipment.FIG. 3 also illustrates an additional alternate embodiment that includesthe tracking/report module 109 as described above in conjunction withFIG. 1C.

In a still further alternate embodiment, the smart card personalizationsystem 100 shown in FIG. 3 encodes data onto an optical transaction cardwhen optical-encoding equipment is used as the personalization equipment130.

FIGS. 4 and 5 depict still further alternate embodiments that areimplemented when the card issuer does not program a card application onthe smart card chip. These embodiments allow the card issuer to issuemultiple card types with their attendant variety of operating systems onmultiple types of personalization equipment without having toreconfigure the smart card personalization system 100. As describedabove in conjunction with FIG. 1C, FIG. 4 includes the modules thatsupport reporting and post-processing. FIG. 5 illustrates theembodiments of FIG. 4 with the addition of the secure key manager module111 that provides security to the card operating system interface 103for transmission to the personalization equipment 130.

Similarly, FIGS. 6 and 7 illustrate embodiments to support a card issuerthat uses the chip on a smart card only as a data storage device for acard application, and so does not have an operating system executing onthe chip. Smart card personalization system 100 supports multiple cardapplications for multiple card types issued with multiple types ofpersonalization equipment. FIGS. 6 and 7 are analogous to FIGS. 4 and 5except that the secure key manager 111 provides secure keys and/orfunctions to the card application interface 105 instead of the cardoperating system interface 103.

FIG. 8 is a high level flow chart for one embodiment of software whichimplements the functions of the smart card personalization system 100described above. The software acquires a personalization equipmentidentifier for a batch of transaction cards to be issued from the cardissuer management system at block 801. Depending on the type of cards tobe issued, the software also acquires a program applicationidentifier(s) and/or a card operating system identifier at the sametime. The software then acquires the particular data format templatecorresponding to the format of the personalization data through one ofthe procedures described above (block 803). At block 805, the systemacquires the equipment characteristics for the personalization equipmentto be used to issue the batch of cards from the personalizationequipment record specified by the personalization equipment identifier.

If a card operating system identifier was passed by the card issuermanagement system (block 807), the software retrieves the programmingcontrol commands from the card operating system database recordcorresponding to the card operating system identifier at block 809.Blocks 811 and 813 perform the same logic for a card application,retrieving the application data, such as code and/or variables, from thedatabase. At this point, the software has acquired the common datanecessary for all the cards in the batch and begins looping through thelogic which issues cards for the individual cardholders.

The card issuer management system passes the personalization data for asingle cardholder to the software (block 815) which translates the dataitems from the format defined by the data format template into aninternal format used by the modules of the smart card personalizationsystem (block 817). If the card chip contains security architecture thatrequires secure keys (block 819), the software acquires the secure keydata necessary to perform the secure key functions from the appropriatesecure key source at block 821.

The software is now ready to transfer data to the personalizationequipment to program the card. If the card is protected by secure keys,the secure key functions are performed and the secure key data istransferred at block 823. Then the programming control codes for thechip operating system, if applicable, are transferred (blocks 825 and827); next the application code and/or variables are transferred if theyare needed (blocks 829 and 831). Finally, the cardholder'spersonalization data that was translated into the internal format istransferred (block 833).

After the data has been transferred to the card, the software adds theappropriate values to the statistics it collects for the card issuermanagement system at block 839. If more cards in the same batch remainto be issued (block 841), the software returns to block 815 and acquiresthe personalization data for the next cardholder. Otherwise, thesoftware determines if the card issuer management system has a differentbatch of cards to issue (block 843) and returns to block 801 to acquirethe necessary information to repeat the cycle for the new batch. If nofurther cards are to be issued, the software exits.

The mechanisms by which the card issuer management system 150 passes thenecessary data to the smart card personalization system 100 and theorder in which the smart card personalization system processes the datafrom the card issuer management system may be changed without exceedingthe scope of the invention. Different arrangements are dictated by thespecific environment in which the system 100 operates as shown in thealternate embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 9 and 10.

In FIG. 9, a security module 911 acts as a gateway into the smart cardpersonalization system 100 for a security source such as securitymanager 940 and security database 942 shown in FIG. 1B as 111 and 128respectively. The security manager 940 controls access to the securitydatabase 942 and connects into the security gateway 911 to perform thenecessary security functions for the smart card personalization system100. The security gateway 911 is coupled to the card issuer managementsystem interface 901 which allows the interface 901 to request that thesecurity manager 940 decrypt personalization data passed in anencryption format by the card issuer management system 950. The securitygateway 911 is also coupled to the card application interface 903 andthe card operating interface 905 so that it can supply the necessarysecure keys and/or security functions to those interfaces as explainedabove in conjunction with FIG. 2.

Furthermore, the embodiment of the smart card personalization system 100shown in FIG. 9 acquires the application data 922 specified by theapplication program identifier prior to acquiring the programmingcontrol commands specific to the card operating system 924 using thecard identifier. This embodiment permits the personalization data andthe application data to be translated into the internal format prior toretrieving the programming commands for the card operating system 924and the equipment characteristic data 926, thus speeding the processingof each smart card.

Standard transaction cards have data printed and embossed on the surfaceof the card and/or data encoded in a magnetic stripe on the card. With asmart card, data may also be stored in an internal memory area withinthe microprocessor. The same data may be placed on the surface of thecard, in the magnetic stripe and also in the chip memory. The exactconfiguration of the data in and on the card will vary depending on thetype of smart card being issued and the requirements of the card issuer.

FIG. 10 is a high level flow chart of the embodiment shown in FIG. 9and, in conjunction with FIGS. 11, 12 and 13, further illustrates howdifferent mechanisms may be used to implement the smart cardpersonalization system 100. The card issuer management system 950 passesa card framework template that defines the configuration of the smartcard to the smart card personalization system 100 at block 1001.

FIG. 11 illustrates one embodiment of the data layout for the cardframework template record 1100. The microprocessor chip identifier 1101and the card operating system identifier 1102 (if present) are specificto the type of smart card to be issued. The master file definition 1103contains control information such as the chip source and the last datethe chip was altered. The system file definitions 1104, 1105, 1107contain addresses for the location of the system files within the memoryof the chip. The system files are used by the card operating system andcontain information such as the PIN code(s) for the card andapplications, and algorithm tables. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 11,the master file and the system file definitions conform to theInternational Standards Organization (ISO) directive number 7816-4.

The next three sections of the card framework template record 1100define the arrangement of data on the surface and magnetic stripe of thecard. If information is to be printed on the card, such as thecardholder's photograph 1109, the location on the surface of the card toprint such data is passed by the card issuer management system 950 inthe printing template of the card framework template record 1100.Similarly, the locations on the surface of the card to emboss data ispassed in the emboss template, and the arrangement of the data to beencoded in the magnetic stripe is passed in the mag stripe template. Theemboss data is illustrated in the card framework template record 1100 asthe cardholder's name (EMName) 1111, account number (EMAcct) 1113, andexpiration date (EMXdat) 1115 and the magnetic stripe data by theaccount number (MSAcct) 1117 and the expiration date (MSXdat) 1119. Thenumber of data items in the printing, emboss, and mag stripe templateswill vary depending on the configuration of the smart card desired bythe card issuer as will be apparent to those skilled in the art.

If the card issuer wants card applications programmed into the chip inthe smart card, the card issuer passes the application programidentifiers to the smart card personalization system 100 in the sections1121, 1123, 1125 of the card framework template record 1100. Eachapplication may have specific security functions associated with it(1127, 1129, 1131) and that information is also passed by the cardissuer management system 950. The card framework template record 1100also contains the personalization equipment identifier 1123 for thepersonalization equipment to be used to issue the smart cards.

In an alternate embodiment, the smart card personalization system 100stores commonly used card framework template records in an internaldatabase so that the card issuer management system 950 needs to passonly a card framework template identifier that identifies which cardframework template record is to be used for a particular batch of cards.

The smart card personalization system 100 acquires the data formattemplate for the personalization data from a pre-defined locationspecified by the card issuer at block 1003. If the card issuer haspassed a data format identifier to the system 100, the data formatetemplate record corresponding to the data format identifier is retrievedfrom the data format database 920. Alternatively, the card issuer maypass the data format template record itself. When neither the dataformat identifier nor the data format template record is passed to thesystem 100, the format of the personalization data is determined by thecard application data as explained in more detail below.

An example of a data format template record is shown in FIG. 12. Thedata format template record 1200 defines an hypothetical layout of thepersonalization data records in the cardholder database 952 in which theaccount number 1201 is the first field, the cardholder's name 1202 isthe second field, and the expiration date of the card 1205 is the thirdfield. In one embodiment, the personalization data records arecomma-delimited records so no data field lengths are necessary to definethe record format. Thus the data format template record 1200 shown inFIG. 12 completely defines the structure of the following example of acomma-delimited personalization data record to the smart cardpersonalization system 100: 133444999922, Mary Jane Smith, 0299.

The smart card personalization system 100 acquires the application datafor the card application, or applications, 922 corresponding to theapplication program identifiers, if any, that were passed by the cardissuer management system 950 at block 1007. If no application programidentifiers are passed, the smart card personalization system 100acquires default application data (block 1008). The default and/or theapplication data in the card application data record(s) corresponding tothe application program identifier(s) are inserted into thecorresponding sections, i.e., 1121, 1123, 1125, of the card frameworktemplate record 1100.

One embodiment of the layout of a card application data record is shownin FIG. 13. The first field in the card application data record 1300 isthe application name 1301. As with other computer-based applicationprograms, a card application processes data from external sources suchas an automatic teller machine or internal sources such as data filesencoded into the microprocessor's memory. Using the smart card causesthe appropriate application to be executed by the microprocessor and theapplication, in turn, accesses the internal files to retrieve or storedata. To access internal data, the card application data record containspointers to application files in the chip memory (1302, 1305, 1037) andalso the location of fields within the application files. Some of thefields are initialized with data from the cardholder database 952 whenthe card is issued. The application data 1300 includes an address 1303to a cardholder file located in the chip memory and defines thecardholder file as containing three fields: the cardholder's name(ICName) 1309, the account number (ICAcct) 1311 and the expiration date(ICXdat) 1313. Additional internal data is stored in other applicationfiles and the layout of those additional files is also defined by theapplication data 1300.

If the chip embedded in the smart card contains an operating system asspecified by the card framework template record, the smart cardpersonalization system 100 acquires a set of programming controlcommands for the operating system from the card operation systemdatabase 924 at block 1011. The programming control commands for eachoperating system includes commands for functions such as creating andaccessing files in the memory of the chip, reading and writing recordsin the files located in chip memory, along with security commands thatauthenticate PIN (Personal Identification Number) codes and controltransactions that change monetary amounts stored in the chip.

The smart card personalization system 100 acquires the equipmentcharacteristic data corresponding to the personalization equipmentidentifier in the card framework template record from thepersonalization equipment database 926 at block 1013. Included in theequipment characteristic data is a set of personalization programmingcontrol commands which control the operation of the personalizationequipment. As is the case with the card operating systems, thepersonalization control commands are proprietary to the vendor of theequipment but typically include commands directed to the administration,formatting, and production of smart cards.

When the smart card personalization system 100 has acquired all the datanecessary to define a smart card, it is ready to accept personalizationdata records 952 from the card issuer management system 950. As eachpersonalization data record 952 is passed at block 1015, the smart cardpersonalization system 100 uses the data format template, if present, totranslate the personalization data into an internal format, and the cardapplication data and card framework template to map the personalizationdata into variables in a command script written in an internal scriptinglanguage at block 1017. The translation and mapping process is describedfurther below. Alternate embodiments which use a standard programminglanguage such as Basic, Java or C instead of the internal scriptinglanguage are within the scope of the invention.

The smart card personalization system 1019 checks for securityrequirements for the various components of the smart card issuingprocess. In the embodiment of the card framework template shown in FIG.11, the security requirements for the applications are specified by thecard framework template record 1100 at block 1019. If there are securityrequirements, the smart card personalization system 100 acquires securedata and/or functions from the security manager 940 and adds thefunctions into the internal script at block 1021. An alternateembodiment of the smart card personalization system 100 passes theidentifiers of the card operating system and the personalizationequipment, as well as the application program identifier, to thesecurity manager 940 which retrieves the appropriate security dataand/or functions from the security database 942. The security functionstypically use data from additional sources, including data stored ininternal chip files, personalization data 952, the operating systemdatabase 924, the card application database 922, combined with thealgorithm tables stored in the chip or from an external security module,such as the security manager 940, to perform the secure keyauthentication, data integrity, data secrecy and other securityprocesses described above in conjunction with FIG. 2.

Once the internal command script is completed, it must be translatedinto the proprietary programming control commands native to the cardoperating system (if present) and to the personalization equipment sothat the personalization data is transferred to the smart card. In thisembodiment, the translation is performed by a script languageinterpreter at blocks 1025 and 1027 using the information acquired fromthe card operating system database 924 and the personalization equipmentdatabase 926.

At block 1029, the smart card operating system 100 passes theinterpreted script to the personalization equipment which then executesthe programming control commands to emboss/print, encode and program theappropriate personalization data onto the surface, and into the magneticstripe and chip respectively of the smart card. As before, if the cardissuer has elected to purchase an add-on smart card programming deviceto attach to its existing personalization equipment, an alternateembodiment of the smart card personalization system 100 directs thecontrol commands for the embossing and encoding to the personalizationequipment 930 and the control command for the chip to the post-processor132 in the smart card programming device.

When the issue process has been completed for one card, the smart cardpersonalization system 100 acquires the next personalization data recordif there are additional cards of the same type waiting to issue (block1033). Otherwise, the smart card personalization system determines ifthere is another batch of smart cards of a different type waiting toissue (block 1001) and begin the issuing process again by acquiring anew card framework template record from the card issuer.

The following example uses sample data to further describe theprocessing performed by the embodiment of the smart card personalizationsystem 100 shown in FIGS. 9 and 10. The card issuer management system950 requests the initiation of the issuing process by sending the smartcard personalization system 100 a card framework template record,application program identifier(s), a card operating system identifier, apersonalization equipment identifier, and optionally a data formattemplate identifer or a data format template record. In this example,the card issuer management system 950 passes an application resourcetemplate record shown below that contains the identifiers The system 100acquires a data format template using one of the procedures specifiedabove and explained in more detail below in conjunction with the samplecardholder data records. Application Resource Template Record [A1]DFT=CARD1.DFT CAT=CARD1.CAT CID=CHIPX.CID CPT=CARD1.CPT SOURCE=A1The first statement in the record marks the beginning of information fora particular application, in this case application “A1”. The next fourstatements define the identifiers for the card framework template record(DFT), the card application record (CAT), the card operating systemrecord (CID) and the personalization equipment record (CPT). The finalstatement is the name of a file created by the card issuing managementsystem 950 that contains the cardholder data record(s). The card issuingmanagement system 950 inputs the cardholder data as either a singlerequest or a ‘batch’ of requests for cards to be issued.

The system 100 retrieves the records corresponding to the identifiersfrom the database. The system 100 then uses the information contained inthe card framework template and data format template to set up aninternal “script,” which it later interpretes into the specific commandscontained in the card operating system and personalization equipmentrecords that instruct the personalization equipment to process thepersonalization data and issue the card for each cardholder.

Two sample cardholder data records 952 are shown below. Cardholder DataRecords Smith,James{circumflex over ( )}12653683091245{circumflex over( )}0998{circumflex over ( )}041052{circumflex over ( )}mmmmAnderson,Sue{circumflex over ( )}39485003984138{circumflex over( )}0297{circumflex over ( )}110248{circumflex over ( )}mmmmIn these records, the format defined by the card issuer places theaccount name (cardholder name) in the first field followed by theaccount number, expiration data, date of birth, and medical data.

The system 100 uses the data format template to interpret eachcardholder data record 952 as it is processed. The system 100 also usesthe data format template and card application records 922 to validatethe data 952 ensuring proper data and format. An example of a dataformat template corresponding to the format of the sample cardholderrecords shown above is shown in the first line of the table below. TheJames Smith personalization data record is included in the table to showthe correspondence between the data format template and the fields ofthe cardholder data record. The data format template equates each fieldin the cardholder record with an internal label, %1, %2, etc., whichcorresponds to the internal order used within the system 100. DataFormat Template Record |    %1     |     %2       | %3 |  %4  |  %5 |Smith, James{circumflex over ( )}12653683091245{circumflex over( )}0998{circumflex over ( )}041052{circumflex over ( )}mmmm

The example shown above represents the simplest case in which the fieldsof a cardholder data record 952 are arranged in the internal order usedby the smart card personalization system 100. This one-to-onecorrespondence means that the system 100 does not have to translate thecardholder data fields into the internal field order. In such a case,the data format template record is unnecessary. Thus, in a furtheralternate embodiment, the card issuer does not pass a data formatidentifier to the smart card personalization system 100, but insteadpasses an indicator, such as a flag, which informs the system 100 thatno data format template is needed because the cardholder data fields arein a one-to-one correspondence with the internal field order. The system100 acts on the indicator by bypassing the translation step.

A more complex example shown next is one in which the fields of thecardholder data record 952 and the data within the fields are out oforder relative to the internal system order. In this case, translationis necessary. Cardholder Data in Issuer Format 1234567891245 James Smith0998 041052 mmmm Cardholder Data Translated into Internal FormatSmith,James{circumflex over ( )}12653683091245{circumflex over( )}0998{circumflex over ( )}041052{circumflex over ( )}mmmm

The system 100 uses the data format template to translate the datafields into the internal order as shown above. The translation mayresult in the physical rearrangement of the data fields or may be alogical rearrangement in which the data format template is invoked as akey each time a field from the cardholder data record is referenced bythe system 100. Various data format templates designed to translatedifferent arrangements of cardholder data will be apparent to thoseskilled in the art as will the substitution of tables of fieldequivalences or a set of parsing instructions or other mechanisms forthe simple table used above to illustrate this example.

The card framework template record describes the structure of the chipon the card. In the sample shown below, the $MF entry defines a rootdirectory (3F00), while $DF entries define a medical application (5F20),and an accounting application (5F10). Within each directory areapplication-specific files defined by $EF entries, such as 6F00containing the account name and 6F10 containing the account number. Allfile descriptive data resides in the card framework template and isreferenced at various times during the smart card issuing process. CardFramework Template Record $CHIP=3102,MEM=8192,SIZE=N10 $MFPATH=x3F00,TAG=ROOT,TITLE=‘Root Directory’,SIZE=D7194 $DFPATH=x3F005F10,TAG=ACCT,TITLE=‘Acct Data’,SIZE=D2048 $DFPATH=x3F005F20,TAG=MED,TITLE=‘Medical’,SIZE=D1024 $EFPATH=x3F003100,TAG=ICCID,TITLE=‘Issuer ID’,FORMAT=T,SIZE=D10 $EFPATH=x3F005F205E00,TAG=MED1,TITLE=‘Medical profile’,FORMAT=T,SIZE=D80$EF PATH=x3F005F106F00,TAG=NAME,TITLE=‘Acct Name’,FORMAT=T,SIZE=A30 $EFPATH=x3F005F106F10,TAG=ACCTID,TITLE=‘Account No.’,FORMAT=T,SIZE=N14 $EFPATH=x3F005F106F20,TAG=EXPIRE,TITLE=Expire Date’,FORMAT=T,SIZE=N4 $EFPATH=x3F005F106F30,TAG=BIRTH,TITLE=‘Account HolderBirthdate’,FORMAT=T,SIZE=N6

The card application record 922 “maps” the cardholder data 952 to thedata fields used by the application. The sample card application record922 shown below has its data entries arranged in the sequence in whichthey are processed by the smart card personalization system 100. CardApplication Record $VL ICCID VALUE=1234509876 $VL MED1 %5,TYPE=A $VLNAME %1,TYPE=A $VL ACCTID %2,TYPE=N $VL EXPIRE %3,TYPE=N $VL BIRTH%4,TYPE=N $VL FMTACCT %2(1-4)-%2(5-9)-%2(10-14)

The ICCID entry contains the chip identifier. Each of remaining entries,except for FMTACCT, maps a “tag” to the field in the cardholder datarecord 952 that contains the information (as defined in the data formattemplate shown above) and specifies the type of data in the field. Thus,the MED1 tag represents the fifth field in the cardholder data record952 and the data is in alpha format. The FMTACCT entry breaks the secondfield in the cardholder data record 952, i.e., the account number, intosections and inserts hyphens between the sections.

The card operating system record 924 contains the programming controlcommands necessary to program the chip on the card. The sample cardoperating system programming control commands shown below are taken fromthe ISO directive number 7816-4 and are not the internal proprietarycommands of any particular card operating system. Card Operating SystemRecord SELECT A0A4000002%F WRITE A0D0%O%L%D READ A0B0%O%L%D RESETVALUE=xFF

Each entry in the example record above contains a tag followed by thecorresponding command in the native language of the card operatingsystem. Variable parameter fields are indicated by “%” followed by aletter and are filled in with the appropriate cardholder data as eachindividual card is processed.

The personalization equipment record 926 contains personalizationequipment characteristic data, such as instructions that define theactual sequence and steps necessary to issue a complete card on aspecific set of personalization equipment. The sample instructions usedin this example are fictitious and do not represent the internalproprietary instructions for any particular personalization equipment.Personalization Equipment Record $EMBOSS #EMB#%FMTACCT%{circumflex over( )}%NAME% $ENCODE #ENC#%%%ACCTID%{circumflex over ( )}%NAME% $IC #\@#@ICCID WRITE ICCID @NAME SELECT ACCT SELECT NAME WRITE NAME @ACCTIDSELECT ACCTID WRITE ACCTID @EXPIRE SELECT EXPIRE WRITE EXPIRE $PR

As each card is issued, the personalization equipment characteristicdata shown above is serially processed in four steps defined by theentries preceded by a “$.” The card application record 922 is used todetermine the value of the variable parameter fields in eachinstruction.

The $EMBOSS instruction is a single stream of data that begins with thecontrol sequence #EMB# which notifies the personalization equipment thatthe data that follows should be embossed on the card. Each data field inthe instruction is enclosed in a pair of percent signs. In this case,the first data field is FMTACCT, or the formatted account field asdefined in the card application record 922. The system 100 searches thecard application record 922 for the FMTACCT entry and creates the string“1265-36830-91245” from the second data field in the first samplecardholder record 952. The next field, NAME, is taken from the firstdata field in the cardholder record 952. Thus, the emboss instructionfor the first sample cardholder record 952 becomes #EMB%1265-36830-91245%% Smith, James %.

The $ENCODE instruction causes the system 100 to process the cardholderdata to be encoded on the magnetic stripe of the card in the samefashion as the emboss instruction. Additional control characters inaccordance with following IATA (International Air Travel Association)and ISO standards are inserted into the command. The resultinginstruction is #ENC#%%%12653683091245%% Smith, James %.

The $IC command specifies the information to be stored in the chip'smemory. The card operating system record 924 is used to translate theinstructions in the personalization equipment record into theprogramming control commands for the operating system. A controlsequence, #@#, is used to notify the personalization equipment that thedata that follows is chip data. The first field to be stored is the chipidentifier, ICCID. The system 100 interprets the WRITE tag in thepersonalization equipment record 926 in accordance with the commandidentified with the WRITE tag in the card operating system record 924.Since no offset value is specified in the application record 922 for thechip identifier entry, the default of “0000” is loaded into the % Ovariable parameter field. The % L variable parameter field is set to thevalue of the SIZE field in the $CHIP entry in the card frameworktemplate, i.e., “10” or hexadecimal “0A.” The % D variable parameterfield is set to the value of ICCID, “1234509876”. The resulting commandis A0D000000A1234509876.

The next commands cause the card operating system to store thecardholder name into the account name file in the account directory onthe chip. The system 100 translates the SELECT ACCT command into thecorresponding card operating system command. The system 100 locates theSELECT entry in the card operating system record 924, the ACCT entry inthe card framework template record, and substitutes the specifieddirectory path for the account directory defined in the ACCT entry, i.e.“5F10,” for the % F variable parameter field in the command defined inthe SELECT entry. The resulting command is A0A40000025F10. Similarly,the SELECT NAME command causes the system 100 to substitute the accountname file “6F00” for the % F variable parameter field. The resultingcommand is A0A40000026F00. The final command in this series is the WRITEcommand. The system 100 interprets the WRITE command by substituting thedefault offset of “0000” for % O, the value of the SIZE field, “30” orhex “1E,” as defined by the NAME entry in the card framework templaterecord for % L, and the cardholder's name, “Smith, James” for the firstsample cardholder data record 952, for % D, to produce the command

A0D000001ESmith,James···················where each “˜” represents atrailing space inserted to pad the name out to thirty characters.

The system 100 processes the remainder of the commands in thepersonalization equipment record 926 in a similar fashion to produce acontiguous string of data containing the commands to issue a card forthe first sample cardholder data record 952:

#@#A0D000000A123459876A0A40000025F10A0A40000026F00A0D

000001ESmith, James ···················A0A40000026F10A0A40

00002E12653683091245A0A40000026F2040998.

The $PR command causes the system 100 to send the command data stream tothe personalization equipment.

The data layouts shown in FIGS. 11, 12 and 13, and the sample datadiscussed in conjunction with the above example are only examples usedto illustrate the functioning of various embodiments of the smart cardpersonalization system 100. That the layouts and data are necessarilydefined by the environment in which they are used will be apparent tothose skilled in the art.

As will also be apparent to those skilled in the art, the smart cardpersonalization system 100 encompasses alternate embodiments of thesoftware program in which the functions of the system are performed bymodules different than those shown in the Figures. The system 100 mayprocess the data in a serial or parallel fashion, or a combination ofthe two, without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention.The software program may be written in one of several widely availableprogramming languages and the modules may be coded as subroutines,subsystems, or objects depending on the language chosen. Similarly, dataused by the system 100 is described and represented as logical recordsembodied in a database but the invention is not limited to the describedarrangement of data records, nor is the use of any particular type ofdata management system implied. Relational database systems from vendorssuch as Oracle, Sybase, Informix, or Microsoft provide the necessaryinfrastructure for managing the underlying data in the system, whetherit is centralized or distributed, but other organizational datastructures, i.e., indexed flat files, may be substituted withoutexceeding the scope of the invention.

Furthermore, alternate embodiments of the invention which implement thesystem in hardware, firmware, or a combination of both hardware andsoftware, as well as distributing the modules and/or the data in adifferent fashion will be apparent to those skilled in the art and arealso within the scope of the invention.

It is to be understood that the above description is intended to beillustrative, and not restrictive. Many other embodiments will beapparent to those of skill in the art upon reviewing the abovedescription. The scope of the invention should, therefore, be determinedwith reference to the appended claims, along with the full scope ofequivalents to which such claims are entitled.

1. A method of processing data for a portable programmed data carriercomprising: acquiring personalization data for a cardholder; acquiringpersonalization equipment characteristics for particular personalizationequipment; creating instructions for an internal script from thepersonalization data; and translating the internal script into a datastream in accordance with the personalization equipment characteristics.2. The method of claim 1, further comprising: transferring the datastream to the particular personalization equipment to issue the datacarrier.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein creating the instructionscomprises mapping the personalization data into a plurality of variablesfor the instructions.
 4. The method of claim 1, wherein translating theinternal script into a data stream comprises translating theinstructions into personalization equipment program commands specifiedby the personalization equipment characteristics.
 5. The method of claim4, wherein the internal script specifies a sequence in which the programcommands will be performed by the personalization equipment.
 6. Themethod of claim 3, further comprising acquiring information for a cardapplication, and wherein at least one of the plurality of variablesholds data for the card application.
 7. The method of claim 1, whereinthe internal script includes instructions for a card operating systemand further comprising: acquiring programming control commands for acard operating system; and translating the instructions for the cardoperating system into the programming control commands.
 8. The method ofclaim 7, wherein the internal script specifies a sequence in which theprogramming control commands will be executed by the card operatingsystem.
 9. The method of claim 1, further comprising: acquiring asecurity function; and adding the security function to the internalscript.
 10. The method of claim 1, wherein the instructions for theinternal script are specified in a set of database records.
 11. Acomputer-readable medium having stored thereon instructions to cause acomputer to perform a method to issue a portable programmable datacarrier, the method comprising: determining if cardholder data is in aninternal format; interpreting cardholder data into a internal format ifit is not in the internal format; mapping the internal format of thecardholder data into a plurality of data fields used by a cardapplication; creating a plurality of program commands for a particularpersonalization equipment using the data fields, and streaming theplurality of program commands to the particular personalizationequipment to issue the portable programmable data carrier.
 12. Thecomputer-readable medium of claim 11, wherein the plurality of programcommands reference data defining a microprocessor chip structure. 13.The computer-readable medium of claim 12, further comprising streamingprogramming control commands for a card operating system to theparticular personalization equipment.
 14. A computer system comprising:a processing unit; a computer-readable medium communicatively coupled tothe processing unit; and a smart card personalization system executingin the processing unit from the computer-readable medium, wherein thesmart card personalization system causes the processing unit to acquirea smart card definition, a card application definition, program commandsfor a particular personalization equipment, and cardholder data, andfurther causes the processing unit to map the cardholder data into datafields specified by the card application definition to create a script,to interpret the script into the program commands using the smart carddefinition, and to transfer the program commands to the particularpersonalization equipment to issue a smart card.
 15. The computer systemof claim 14, wherein the smart card personalization system furthercauses the processing unit to acquire a format definition and totranslate the cardholder data into a format specified by the formatdefinition.
 16. The computer system of claim 14, wherein the smart cardpersonalization system further causes the processing unit to acquire acard operating system definition and to interpret the script intoprogramming control commands specified by the card operating systemdefinition.
 17. The computer system of claim 14, wherein the smart cardpersonalization system further causes the processing unit to acquire asecurity function and to add the security function into the script. 18.A computer-readable medium having stored thereon a smart card frameworkdata structure comprising: a chip field containing data representing anidentifier for a microprocessor; and a master file field containing datarepresenting information for the microprocessor identified by the chipfield; a system file field containing data representing an address for afile in the microprocessor identified by the chip field; and a equipmentfield containing data representing an identifier for personalizationequipment used to program the microprocessor identified by the chipfield.
 19. The computer-readable medium of claim 18, further comprising:an application field containing data representing an identifier for anapplication to be programmed into the microprocessor identified by thechip field.
 20. The computer-readable medium of claim 19, furthercomprising: a security field containing data representing a securityfunction for the application identified by the application field.